(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to event detection. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods to determine and ascertain the occurrence of an event that manifests its presence through transient signatures that alter short term and long term background sensor registered signals.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Currently, a number of event detection methods rely on human observation. As an illustrative example, current minesweeping systems are towed by a manned platform, such as a helicopter or surface ship. Since there is some level of human situational awareness, direct observation is used to recognize if the sweep system being employed has indeed swept a mine or not. Accordingly, tactical memorandums and concept of operation documents for these systems explicitly state that those manning the platform shall watch for a plume or explosion when sweeping or neutralizing mines.
The fundamental concept of mine hunting and sweeping is shifting from this perspective to an entirely unmanned operation. Larger countermeasure ships and helicopters are slated to be retired in favor of smaller unmanned systems. For mine hunting systems, detailed methods of data collection and post mission analysis (PMA) are prescribed. A human operator downloads and reviews every sonar image or other data that the system collects.
For mine sweeping, however, PMA has been neglected due to the use of manned platforms and human observations, as described previously. Current unmanned sweep systems record when the system is energized and where it is. However, there are no provisions for recording whether or not a mine firing has occurred. Further, if a mine firing has occurred, there are no provisions for recording where the mine firing occurred.
Accordingly, the judgment as to whether an area has been cleared of naval sea mines to an acceptable level has to rely on vague position and status data. Such vague data is inadequate for deciding whether to risk lives and assets in moving them through an area that may or may not be sufficiently cleared. Thus, if an unmanned sweeping capability is desired, there is a need for a multi-sensor data collection system that can detect, localize, and report mine firings that have been actuated by an unmanned sweep system.